Description:Bowling center just west & up the hill from Long Beach's famous Traffic Circle. Built in 1958 by the firm of DeRosa, Daly & Powers, it was the very last of the authentic Polynesian style bowling centers in Southern California. It closed for good on May 31, 2004 and was demolished. Java Lanes was the home of the East Indies Room and was the sister bowling center to the 1958 Kona Lanes in Costa Mesa, which was also demolished in 2003.

Thought it was time to consolidate Java Lanes' info here due to recent find. Taderpup seems to have a great deal of info regarding Java Lanes and even named a home bar after the East Indies Room. Hoping you'll add to it Traderpup!

"In 1957, the year Java Lanes opened at 3800 E. PCH, eight alleys existed in Long Beach, including the Belmont and the Beachcomber (no relation to this paper, but certainly our choice for a game or two) at 25 Chestnut, downtown. Counting the Beachcomber, there were three downtown alleys, two near PCH in the central city and one in Northtown."

Never heard about the "Beachcomber Bowl" before! Anybody here got anything on it?

Wow Sven, I didn't know the A Frame at Covina Bowl was still going strong, I need to check it out!

My mother was in a bowling league at Java Lanes and I'd tag along sometimes. It was a big place! I was only about 10 years old and it turned out to be a pretty boring two hours at times. So I'd wander around and look into the dark lounge. I wondered why people were in there drinking at 11am in the morning...I knew they weren't drinking a Roy Rogers like I was. I'd look into the East Indies Room, the restaurant and the nursery. And 30 minutes later, I'd do it again. I'm sure the patrons in the bar wondered who the little kid was that keep looking in at them...

Here's a couple of Java items I was able to find.

Breakfast menu with the same drawing of the A Frame entrance that Sven posted....

Close up view...

And a East Indies Room ashtray from TikiShaker which he was selling at the International Tiki Marketplace last month...